Alexander Zverev was stunned on a rainy day at the 2024 Munich Open by Cristian Garin in the quarter-final.
Both of these players have lifted trophies at the ATP 250 event in Munich in the past, but this year, the Chilean proved the better former champion. It was an interesting match on paper between Zverev, who was the overwhelming favorite, and Garin, who has struggled with his tennis in recent years.
It's good to see him playing this well again, despite recent controversy, as this was certainly a really good performance. The first set started with a pretty early break for Garin, who had to work hard to keep his serve in the next service game.
He would successfully repel all of Zverev's attacks, with the most serious coming at 5-4 when serving for the set. He ultimately saved a break point and held to win the opening set 6-4, which was quite a notable feat.
The German didn't play his best, especially not when it mattered the most. He wasted both break chances, while his opponent used his only one. The second set started with more trouble for Zverev, who barely survived that first game.
He would eventually get broken a bit after that as he continued to struggle. He wasn't thrilled with the condition either because it was raining the whole match, which greatly annoyed former world no. 2, as he complained about it for much of the match.
Garin didn't face any trouble after breaking Zverev, as he cruised through his game without any problems. He was very comfortable as his opponent complained to the umpire about the conditions.
His tennis suffered, as he seemed distracted by what was going on, so a comeback never came. The final score was 6-4, 6-4, as the German bowed out early from the Munich Open once again. This was a huge win for Garin, who has been solid lately.